At Race The Dragon, we bring the excitement of dragon boat racing to communities, corporates, charities and clubs right across the UK. Whether on urban waterways, lakes or rivers, we’ve built experience in sourcing, assessing and activating venues from coast to coast.
We organise events in many of these places already, and we’d love to bring dragon boating to your area next.
Below are some of the places where Race The Dragon has raced and hosted events:
Manchester – Sale Water Park
The venue for the annual Manchester Dragon Boat Festival. Find out more here:
Leeds, Bradford – Roberts Park
Home to the annual Bradford Dragon Boat Festival – The UK’s largest Dragon Boat Festival! Find out more here. Racing is over a course of 200 metres with the start just beyond the cricket pavilion and the finish in front on the crowds in Roberts Park.
Reading – Thames Valley Park Riverside
One of our home venues — good for corporate, charity and community events.
Chester – Sandy Lane Park
Past events include the Chester Charity Dragon Boat Challenge.
Milton Keynes – Willen Lake
This dragon boat racing venue features two lakes to explore and is also home to a wide range of other activities.
Cambridgeshire – Regatta Meadow
The home of the St Neots Charity Dragon Boat Festival. St Neots is a market town in Cambridgeshire, located along the River Great Ouse.
Northwich – River Weaver
Previous dragon boat racing events hosted here include the Northwich River Festival.
London – Surrey Docks Watersports Centre
Surrey Docks Watersports Centre boasts a unique 1km dock overlooking Greenland Dock which is ideal for your dragon boat event, it has a club room which is well presented, spacious and fully accessible from the dock. Widely used in London; convenient for urban audiences and transport links.
London – London Regatta Centre
The London Regatta Centre is a rowing and dragon boat racing centre located in the heart of the Docklands area in the East End of London. It is built on the northern quayside of the historic Royal Albert Dock, directly opposite London City Airport. It boasts a 2,000 metre course with seven lanes and a return lane.
London – Boaters Inn, Kingston-Upon-Thames
The Boaters Inn is situated on the Thames in the beautiful Canbury Gardens, just a ten minute walk from central Kingston. The riverside garden linked to the pub has direct access and viewing of the Thames while also linking directly to Canbury Gardens making it a great venue for medium sized events of 14 to 200 participants.
London – Kingston Rowing Club
Kingston Rowing Club is one of the world’s oldest and most successful amateur rowing clubs. Based on the Thames between Kingston Bridge and Teddington Lock, you can enjoy one of the longest and calmest stretches of rowing water in the UK which makes it ideal for Dragon Boat Racing. Ideal for events from 14 to 500 delegates, with a large club room and viewing balcony looking over the River Thames.
London – Oakley Court, Windsor
Oakley Court is a stunning venue for any sized event ranging from 14 to 1,000+, with a great view of the Thames from the exceptionally well kept and maintained grounds and garden.
London – Dorney Lake, Windsor
Dorney Lake is a modern world-class rowing and flat-water canoeing centre set in a spectacular 450-acre parkland near Windsor. The site hosted the Rowing and Kayak events during the Olympic and Paralympic Games for London 2012. A top class venue for your event. Any size event can be held here from 14 to 1,000+ with any amount of infrastructure that you require.
London – Runnymede-on-Thames, Egham
Runnymede-on-Thames make this such a great venue and makes the days racing a spectacle for all to see. Your event can be any size at this amazing venue from 14 to 1,000 plus.
London – Wraysbury Skiff & Punting Club, Egham
Wraysbury Skiff & Punting Club is ideal for smaller events from 14 to 150 people. It has excellent facilities, with changing rooms, showers and a bar. It is situated next to Runnymede Pleasure Ground but has its own secluded lawn with a view of the river ideal for spectating the racing of the day, it also has an onsite carpark.
Maidenhead – Queen’s Eyot
Queens Eyot is an island venue and can be used exclusively for the day. The island has a beautiful clubhouse and is surrounded by extensive, well-tended lawns, mature trees, with views of the river for watching the dragon boat racing.
Maidenhead – Riverside Marquee
The Riverside Marquee is an exclusive venue to host your dragon boat racing event. 16 acres of private grounds for your exclusive use and sufficient parking onsite for larger groups. The Riverside Marquee is great for events sized from 14 to 500 and can accommodate a small amount of infrastructure you may require.
Brighton – Hove Lagoon
Hove Lagoon near Brighton is one of the best watersports venues in the country and perfect for dragon boat racing. The Lagoon is an old Victorian boating lake so has a solid bottom and is only waist deep.
Birmingham – Edgbaston Reservoir
Edgbaston Reservoir is a 70-acre open-water site for recreation and includes a nature reserve. This historic site was built in 1827. Race The Dragon has been using this location for dragon boat racing for a number of years.
Wakefield – Pugnes Country Park
The Wakefield Chantry & Huddersfield Rotary Dragon Boat Challange is one of the most popular water sports events in the North of England. The racing and event is run by Race The Dragon, who have the largest dragon boat fleet in the country and operate the best dragon boat events nationwide.
Ipswich – Ipswich Waterfront
The Ipswich Waterfront was originally constructed in 1842 and the area was a functioning dock up until the 1970s. Now a trusted venue for dragon boat racing in Suffolk.
More locations are now being added!
The Types of Water Venues We Can Work With
When considering new locations, we look for water venues with certain characteristics. Below is what works well and has suitable venue criteria when selecting new sites for dragon boat racing events:
We’re always looking to expand. If you have a waterbody or venue in mind, we’ll assess whether it’s viable for dragon boat racing. So even if your town has never hosted a dragon boat event, we can often make it happen, provided the water venue is suitable and permissions allow.
If you’re curious whether your location is feasible, just get in touch with the town name and waterbody/river/lake details and we’ll let you know if we can help organise your next dragon boat racing event.